Garment supporter



July 5, 1938. SA ETZ 2,122,494

GARMENT SUPPORTER Filed Feb. 3, 1938 a INVENTOR LflZI/J' JIM/5T2 ATTORNEY Patented July 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9' Claims.

. The present invention relates to improvements in garment supporters.More particularly it relates to improvements in: the means for attachingthe button-supporting tab member tothe loop 5 member of sucha supporter.

The primary object of the invention is to secure the tab member of asupporter to the loop member in such a manner that it cannot be removedor inadvertently loosened therefrom.

Another object is to secure the tab member to the loop member by meansof a novel fastening element which interconnects the loop member withthe eye of the garment supporter.

A further object is to secure the fastening element in such a manner tothe loop and eye members, and the tab member to the fastening element,that the eye is free to pivot relative to the fastening element whilethe loop and tab members are substantially rigid with saidfasteningelement and are clamped or gripped by said fastening element.

A still further object of the invention is to provide simple andinexpensive means for strengthening that portion of the tab member whichis gripped by the fastening element to prevent ripping or tearing of thetab member, and to provide such strengthening means which do notsubstantially increase the thickness of the tab member.

Features of the invention include impregnating the end portion of asingle-ply member which is secured to the fastening element, and theprovision of a metallic fastening element which is provided with teethfor biting intothe impregnated end portion of the tab member.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will appear from the following detaileddescription and thedrawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front View of the garment supporter in assembledcondition.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front View of the supporter with the tab member in unloopedposition.

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary front and side views, respectively, of thetab member according to the invention. 7

Fig.6 is an enlarged fragmentary section show- 55; ing the tab member inunlooped. position.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 with the tab member in loopedposition.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective View of the fastening elementaccording to the invention.

g5 Before describing the present improvements and mode of operationthereof in detail it should be understood that the invention is notlimited to the details of construction and arrangement of parts shown inthe accompanying drawing, which is merely illustrative of the presentpreferred embodiments, since the invention is capable of otherembodiments, and the phraseology employed is for the purpose ofdescription and not of limitation.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a conventional metallic loop member8 has a crossbar 9 at its upper end which is secured by means of afastening element ID to an eye member ll of conventional construction.

\ I'he fastening element I0 provided by the present invention isparticularly novel and highly advantageous. It consists preferably of aflat piece of metal, one end of which is provided with a bent portion l2which grips tightly around the crossbar 9 of the loop member so as to besubstantially rigid therewith or permit only limited movement of theloop member relative to the fastening element Ill. Substantially at themiddle of its length, the element i0 is passed through the eye member IIand bent backwardly so as to provide a loop l3 which loosely enfolds andrests on the crossbar M of the eye member II. The other end l5 of thefastening element ID includes a curved portion l6 which is of sufficientlength to curl at least partially around the bent 1 portion l2 and toenter between the side arms I! of the loop member 8, A single-ply tabmember I8 carries a button [9 secured to its lower end and has its upperend portion 20 interposed between the curved portion I 6 and the bentportion l2 of the fastening element In, and this upper end portion 20 isgripped or pressed tightly between the portions l2 and I6.

Preferably, and as shown by the drawing, the

end portion 20 of the tab member I8 may exi;

tend so far as to terminate between the crossbar I4 of the eye member IIand the loop I3. However, it may also extend around the crossbar I4, orit may even be of such a length as to be fur ther secured between thebent portion [2 and the crossbar 9 of the loop member.

According to the present invention, to increase the gripping action onthe tab member l8, and to prevent pulling out of the tab member from thefastening element Ill, the outer edge 21 of the curved portion [6 actsas a biting edge and is provided with teeth or prongs 22. The free end23 of the tab member is bent upwardly and around the curved portion I 6and looped through the eye member H, as'clearly shown in the drawing;Whena pulling force is exerted in downward direction on the button I9such force is substantially taken up and reduced by the friction of thetab member IS on the crossbar IA of the eye member II and the curvedportion I6, while the residual force is taken up by the edge 2| and theprongs 22 which bite slightly into the'surface of the tab member andthus prevent withdrawal thereof frem the gripping portions l2 and I6 ofthe fastening member. 1

,In order to increase the life of the supporter and to prevent tearingof the tab member by the prongs 22, and also to lessen the wear of thetab member by the friction cm the metallic fastening element, the upperpart 2i of the tab member is preferably provided with strengtheningmeans 25' which may consist for example of an impregna tion of the part24 with cellulose acetate or any other impregnating, coating and/orstiffening .ilar material; the fastening element material. Such animpregnation produces the advantages that it: binds together the fibersor threads of the tab member, acts as a stiffening and strengtheningmedium for the part 24 which is most affected by pulling, tearing andfrictional forces, and prevents the prongs-22 from biting into theiabricof'the tab member l8 and instead causes them to bite into the thincoating on thee fabric. The impregnation securely adheres to, the fabricwithout increasing its thickness to any noticeable or undesirable extentBy means offithe new support structure provided by the presentinvention, the following advantages are obtained: ,The tab member l8 canunder no circumstances come loose of the fastening element ill] eitherby the normal wear, manipulation or laundering of the supporter; thelifeof the tab member is considerably pro longed by the coating ofcellulose acetate or sim-i i0 is of such construction that it cannotiinterfere with or hook into any garments worn oyer the supporter sincethe biting edge 25 is curyed inwardly between the side arms I l of theloop member 8; and, the outer isurface of the fastening element It! iscompletely covered at both sides thereof the fabric of the tab member l8so that no metal parts of said fastening element can come in contactwith the skin or any garments of the wearer.

Finally, the new supporter extremely simple and inexpensive,particularly as compared with similar types of garment supportersheretofore proposed which require for their production expensivemachinery and a relatively large number of manufacturing steps ofoperations. The supporter according to the present invention can be madewith comparatively simpleand inexpensive machinery and very fewoperations.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of thisinvention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:--

1. A garment supporter comprising a loop member having side arms; an eyemember; a tab member; and an element having an inner end hooked to theloop member, an intermediate section looped through the eye member, andan outer end overlying the inner end, extending between the side armsand gripping the tab member to the inner end.

2. A garment supporter comprising a loop member; an eye member; anelement having an inner end hooked to the loop member, an intermediatesection looped through the eye member, and an outer end overlying theinner end; and

a tab member extending upwardly in back of the loop and eye members,thence downwardly and completely around the outer end of the elementwhere it is pressed into firm engagement with the inner end of: theelement.

3. A garment supporter comprising a loop, member; an eye member; anelement having an inner end hooked to the loop member, an intermediatesection looped through the eye member, and an outer end overlying theinner end and having prongs thereon; and a tab member extending upwardlyin back of the loop and eye members, thence downwardly and hooked aroundthe outer end of the element so that the prongs bite into the same, andthence between the outer Y and irmer ends of the element where the tabof the loop and eye members, thence downwardi y and completely aroundthe outer end of the element where it, is pressed into firm engagementwith the innergend of the element.

5. A garment supporter comprising a loop member; aneye member; anelement having an .5-

inner end hooked to the loop member, an intermediate secticn loopedthrough the eye member, and an outer lend overlying the inner end; a tabmember; and means at one end of the tab member for strengthening thesame, said tab member extending u wardly in back of the loop and eyemembers, thence downwardly and completely around the outer end of theelement, so that the edge thereof bites into the strengthening means onthe tab member, and thence between the outer and inner ends of theelement where the tab member is held in firm engagement by said ends.

6.,A garment supporter comprising a loop member; an eye member; a tabmember haging a coating of cellulose material at one end thereof;

and an element having an inner end hooked to the loop member, anintermediate section looped through the eye member, and an outer endoverlying the inner end and gripping the coated end of said tab memberto the inner end.

7. A garment supporter comprising a loop membeman eye member; a tab; abutton on the tab; and an element looped about the eye member and. theloop member, and having an outer section extending from one to the otherof the latter members to grip the tab to the element at the lower endthereof and to enable the tab to be extended completely around theelement and to bring the button into gripping register with the loopmember.

8. A garment supporter comprising a loop member having side arms and acrossbar; an eye member; an element looped through the eye member andhaving an inner section secured to the loop member, and an outer sectionextending around the crossbar and between the side arms; and a tabmember having one end interposed between and secured to the crossbar andthe outer section of said element, and the other end thereof extendingbackwardly about the end of the outer section of the element and loopedabout the element so as to enclose the same completely.

9. A garment supporter comprising a loop member having side arms and acrossbar; an eye member; an element having an inner section hookedaround and secured to the crossbar, an

intermediate section looped through the eye member, and an outer sectionoverlying and extending around the inner section and between the sidearms of the loop member; prongs at the free end of the outer section;and a tab member having one part thereof impregnated with astrengthening medium and one end interposed and firmly gripped betweenthe inner and outer sections of the element, and the other end thereofextending backwardly about the end of the outer section of the elementso that the prongs engage with the impregnated part of the tab member,and thence looped about the element so as to enclose the samecompletely.

LOUIS SAMETZ.

